All is changed about me, sir; I must change too—there is no doubt of that; and to avoid fluctuations of feeling, and continual combats with recollections and associations, there is only one way—Adèle must have a new governess, sir.
Chapter 27 · Jane Eyre
Context
Jane tells Rochester she must leave Thornfield, and suggests that Adèle will need a new governess.
Analysis
Jane refers to herself in the third person by job title—'Adèle must have a new governess'—rather than saying 'I must go.' The impersonal phrasing distances her from her own departure, as if she is already thinking of herself as replaceable, a function rather than a person. The passive construction ('must have') also transfers agency away from Jane: it is not that she chooses to leave, but that the situation demands a new governess, as if the role could be filled by anyone. This is Jane practicing self-erasure in real time.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Jane uses depersonalized language to manage unbearable emotion—by speaking of herself as a governess rather than as 'I,' she tries to make her departure a practical matter instead of a romantic catastrophe.